Letter to the Media Industry!

I love the media world for all its glory, and hate it for all its sheer stupidity. Perhaps I am being a bit blunt, but in a world were the media affect our day-to-day lives, they sure do miss what the big picture.

How about instead of every news station across America, “informing” us that Charlie Sheen is doing more cocaine or that Justin Bieber has strep throat and won’t be able to do his latest tour, let’s focus on something truly news worthy.

How about that 8.9 earthquake in Japan, followed by the Tsunami?

Reports show that thousands are missing or dead! But for whatever reason, when the sun sets on our world we start to lose interest. But the real life fear, tragedy, danger, and horror will still be present in the land of the rising sun. They won’t forget! So why do we? Because the media feels that the upcoming Comedy Central roast of Donald Trump is more important.

Remember the dead, fight for the living!

Today in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, 237 casualties were reported. These casualties were a mixture of U.S. and Coalition forces. These solders will never see their families again, and there families will never see them alive again. Why does this take a back seat to Jersey Shore!?

Correction – We the people share the blame!

I consider myself part of the media, as I’m sure does everyone at Blogcritics and Technorati. I don’t mean to put all the blame on any one industry, because it isn’t entirely the media’s fault. Some people, and I would go as far to say most people in the media, are doing their best to report what’s important: true news. But they seem to be blocked by the fluff pieces. Why? Because we would rather hear about a godlike superstar falling from the pedestal upon which we placed him, than look at the horrors of the real world, and learn. The people almost force the media to report on the fluff, instead of the hard truths!

To the people of the media, and users of the media, I say to you, “No more shall we glorify people like Charlie Sheen! No more should the Mega Ball winner be plastered all over our media!”

Let us report the news! Let us save the media, and return it to its true & original purpose — To inform! If you want entertainment, then watch a sitcom!

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You may be right is saying that the entire Blogcritics staff considers themselves part of the media, but do you seriously think that they, like you, feel any share of the blame in the situation you deplore? During this ongoing aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, BC’s online conversation has been overwhelmingly about House, M.D. That discussion has been driven by a series of articles by BC’s co-executive editor. I doubt that she or any other BC editor regrets or even concedes trivializing this web site by concentrating on a made-up TV show instead of on actual human events.

http://subversivetv.blogspot.com/ Alan Kurtz

Anyhow, I wonder why your article appears in BC’s politics section. What is the political dimension of your complaint? The trivialization of American media is a topic worthy of discussion, but it really belongs in Culture or TV/Film.

http://www.calliblcarver.com Callib Carver

I choose the political section of BC, because the media feeds politics. It has become its own form of politics; if you can afford it you can have news coverage for whatever, if you are popular, the same thing goes.

Oh, now I recall, he was quoting that rabid, foaming at the mouth
reactionary, far right-wing, troglodyte, neanderthal conservative, Eleanor Roosevelt.

The point is we are absorbed with people, with celebrities as our first priority; then events; and finally rarely with ideas.

It is my experience for the past 50 years, that American, particularly, liberal, lefty so-callled supposed journalism is mostly concerned with the first two, and hardly with the third. It is also my experience, that beyond the Himalayan mountains of fluff of people and celebrity; and the massive deluge of the coverage of events in mindless repetition; there is scant substance and few ideas.

I also found that in order to find out what was truly occurring in America and the rest of the world, I had to read foreign journals, magazine and other news sources.

Yes we got plenty of fluff and plenty of quantity in maddening repetitive abundance – but we ain’t got no substance nor very many ideas.

And PS, Al, I like what you said, but this article has a rightful place here in the political debate. I see your editorial categorization of this article, but in this case it transcends that narrow focus of yours and is perfectly permissible here.

Kurtz is on a sabbatical as of yesterday, or in exile as the case may be, and is unable to speak. Let me pick up the mantle, however, and in my own feeble voice express my full confidence that the sheer force of your argument would make him him yield absolutely and unequivocally.

And since he isn’t here to either confirm my conjecture or to deny it, let it stand until Kurtz himself speaks.

El Bicho

so your vigil is over already? thought you’d have embraced the moniker for more than one day, but yours was a fickle love for each other with all the squabbling and making up.

not sure why a sabbatical would require removing his name off his work, but if I had a nickel for ever time AK did something I didn’t understand, I could retire

http://takeitorleaveit.typepad.com/an roger nowosielski

Sorry to disappoint you, but the orders have come from above, not to mention Kurtz himself.

El Bicho

what kind of anarchist takes orders?

http://takeitorleaveit.typepad.com/an roger nowosielski

So I see you’d like to see me booted out too, just like Kurtz. Not yet, my friend, not before I’m ready.

El Bicho

Huh? How would mentioning “Alan Kurtz? get you booted out? If the comment policy has been updated to make the mention of “Alan Kurtz” a bootable offense, this is news to me. As is Alan Kurtz’ booting, if that’s what you are indicating.

http://blogcritics.org/writers/dr-dreadful/ Dr Dreadful

Alan Kurtz Alan Kurtz Alan Kurtz Al-

[sound of door being kicked in, struggling]

Aiiieeeee!!!!

http://handyfilm.blogspot.com handyguy

None of the rest of us has any idea what you guys are talking about. But don’t let that stop you.

I was told to discontinue the handle, in fact, the handle was being re-edited before my consent. Apparently, you’re not in the loop, LB.

http://takeitorleaveit.typepad.com/an roger nowosielski

As to my mentioning or referring to Kurtz, obviously you’re off, because I keep on doing so when the occasion arises, in spite of Dreadful’s veiled threats and Handy’s digs.

http://blogcritics.org/writers/dr-dreadful/ Dr Dreadful

Roger, you were told to discontinue the handle because of this clause in the comments policy: “it is grounds for immediate banning to comment under someone else’s name.”

El Bicho

tell Handy “Dems good, Repubs bad” so he can keep up

El Bicho

Roger was commenting under the name “Alan Kurtz II”. While Alan may be able to be his own grandfather not sure how he could be his own son.

http://handyfilm.blogspot.com handyguy

Dems bad, Repubs badder, Beck baddest.

http://takeitorleaveit.typepad.com/an roger nowosielski

Dreadful. I’m well aware of the comments policy which means even you shouldn’t assume a different handle, a clear violation just as comment or so ago. So no, I don’t need an explanation, nor have I made any kind of indication I’m desirous of one. I was merely explaining facts of life to LB, it’s that simple.

But since the subject matter of Kurtz et al. is, by your own admission, of no interest to you, what are you doing on this thread?

Just wonder.

http://takeitorleaveit.typepad.com/an roger nowosielski

@18

Not even close, LB, we’re the same age.

As to Handy, I needn’t tell him anything. At his worst moments, he’s just an echo from Glenn Contrarian’s playbook.

http://www.RoseDigitalMarketing.com Christopher Rose

Roger, as you don’t have all the facts, you’re not in a position to explain anything to anybody, nor are you really interested in facts…

http://takeitorleaveit.typepad.com/an roger nowosielski

Of course I’m not interested in “the facts,” Christopher, never mind “all the facts.” That fact should be apparent to you by now.